By the 1990s, the CT70 was soldiering-on into a second generation, literally. A lot of people who weren't born when the K2 reached the showrooms were now old enough to vote! The biggest "sea-level-change" was how much more corporate everything had become by the end of the 1980s. Red & white were the Honda corporate colors. Unfortunately, that color scheme didn't translate all that well to the 1960s-era design, finishing off what the bean counters and commodity markets had start in the mid-`70s. I agree, those white wheels give the bike a cheap, plastic, aesthetic.
Mechanically, these bikes are another story altogether. Running changes, mostly improvements, were made continuously over the years. The later the model, the better the mechanicals, with the 12v bikes beign the best of the lot. 12v/CDI electrics were a nice cherry on top of that Sundae. And, as we've seen, the basic soul of the bike never went anywhere...look how little it takes to make the bike instantly recognizable. By all indications, a few years ago, the market started to recognize the 12v era bikes for the solid, reliable, riders that they are. Now that much, if not most, of the low-hanging fruit has been scarfed-up, demand for the later models has increased...and there weren't many of the later bikes sold.
